Not Too Late
by rubyberry
Summary: InoShika.  "What?  No way!  They're getting married?" Her stomach tightened and she couldn't help but think, I think I want to throw up. TWOSHOT. /now complete/
1. Part 1

"What? No way! They're getting married?"

Chouji nodded. "After all, they've been dating for two years."

"Yeah, I know," said Ino. She laughed. "We should've all seen it coming, huh?"

She looked at her flowers and her laugh kind of trailed off.

Her stomach tightened and she couldn't help but think,

_I think I want to throw up._

:::

When she was a little girl, she always thought, "God, why did my dad's friends' sons have to be so lame."

Why couldn't she be childhood friends with someone like, oh say, Sasuke?

No. She got Shikamaru and Chouji instead. Shikamaru, who had a bored, lazy expression most of the times and whose only interest consisted of playing shouji (postively the most POINTLESS board game ever). Chouji, who liked to eat way too much for his own good and whose only interest is... well, food.

Ino had a lot of friends, 'course. All the other girls liked her because she was pretty and funny and wore the cutest clothes. But... well...

Because of the fact that their dads were all best friends, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino had to hang out with each other a lot. Just the three of them, while the dads talked over the barbeque or played cards or whatever.

On such occasions, Shikamaru and Chouji would usually just sit side by side in comfortable silence. The two didn't talk very much, but they seemed to enjoy each other's company. Both of them were similar in the fact that they didn't feel they had to _do_ anything in order to be happy. They just... sat and thought about things (especially Shikamaru).

Ino, on the other hand, liked loudness. She liked exciting things. She needed to be active and _doing_ something. She needed to talk and have fun.

Needless to say, she wasn't very fond of her "friends." She already felt annoyed enough because they were guys and she was a girl and that enough made her sort of the odd one out (and Ino hated feeling like the odd one out). She felt even more annoyed when they either ignored her attempts to spice things up or refused to be... a little more exciting to be around.

Their little quality times together always ended with her stomping her foot in frustration and yelling, "I give up! You guys are just stupid!" and stalking off angrily. Then she'd snap, "I heard that!" whenever Shikamaru sighed or muttered something like "Women are troublesome" to Chouji.

And continue to march off with a pout.

That was the essence of Ino's childhood.

:::

The year she turned 12 and graduated from the Academy - finally! - she looked forward eagerly to the prospect of three-people teams.

She had a feeling she would be on the same team with Sasuke. She HAD to be! She prayed and wished with all her heart and since she wanted it so much, she figured Kami would HAVE to pity her earnest desire and grant her the opportunity to be with Sasuke 24/7.

She was very pissed and jealous when she found out Sakura would be on the same team with Sasuke. Sakura had once been her friend but was now her rival in love after declaring that she, too, was in love with Sasuke. For the briefest moment Ino had felt hurt that Sakura would end their friendship over something like that, but Ino wasn't one to mope or feel sad. She wouldn't lose to Sakura. Ino never lost. She knew that despite Sakura's advantage, Ino would still eventually win over Sasuke's affections with her good looks and vivacious charm.

Anyway. Ino was disappointed that she wasn't on the same team with Sasuke.

But she was even MORE dismayed and shocked (in a bad way) to find she had Chouji and Shikamaru for her partners!

It was like God was playing a cruel joke on her. Just when the three of them have been growing apart (or more like, Chouji and Shikmaru have continued to remain good friends but she just stopped hanging out with them), something like this trapped them together again!

Ino felt like those two were like cheese or peanut butter - anything equally sticky and annoying - she couldn't get off.

Plus the whole InoShikaCho joke. God, it really gets on your nerves after a while.

(Ino would _never_ forgive her father for naming her after himself. Like, "boar?" So not pretty. How unfair is it that Sakura gets to be named after a _flower_?)

:::

Before she knew it though, she was hanging out with them again. Not just for team practice, but also for trips to the restaurant for BBQ and the occasional trek to Shikamaru's cloud-watching spot (one-sided on the part of Ino, though... Shikamaru always said Ino was too loud and disrupted his cloud-watching time whenever she was there.)

In her defense, it was probably because of - you know - how they were a _team_. It was just natural that you'd form a bond with your teammates. Watching each other's backs, fighting a common enemy, cheesy stuff like that.

Ino began to use the words "we." She smiled when she heard the words "Team 10." She bossed Shikamaru and Chouji around, just for the heck of it, during training and wrinkled her nose in distaste at Asuma's smoking fetish.

Her favorite part, though, had to be snapping at Shikamaru for being so goddamn lazy.

:::

Asuma-sensei. Ino, to this day, still felt that slight twinge of pain in her chest when she remembered him and his cigarettes.

Yet, his death made her feel more than ever the weight of her _team_. Before, she felt like they were stuck to her like unpleasant glue. Now, she felt like if she wasn't chained to them at the arms and legs, she was going to lose control and fly off to some place strange and foreign.

_Take care of them_, he had told her.

As she cried and saw Chouji cry, and saw Shikamaru cry, she silently plead: _please, sensei, watch over them and don't ever take them away from me_.

:::

Of course, back then she meant, "Don't kill them." Some ghosts did that, you know. They missed their loved ones so much they pulled them to the underworld, or the next life, or whatever, along with them so they wouldn't feel so lonely.

But now - now -

Well. Shikamaru wasn't dead. But he was still being taken away from her.

"It's not like you guys won't be friends anymore..." said Sakura hesitantly. "I mean, he's still your teammate and your best friend, you know? MarryingTemari won't change that."

"Yeah," agreed Ino. She tipped back her head, tasting the last few drops of the sake in her cup. "Yeah... mrnreagh."

"There, there. Are you feeling better now? Should I call Sai over?"

"Sakura, we broke up two weeks ago."

"What!" Sakura coughed as her drink went up her nose. "Why? You never told me!"

"Because he told me he's gay."

"He- he is?"

"Yeah, he has the hots for Naruto."

Sakura frowned. "Ino, are you sure this isn't the sake talking..."

Ino shook her head - the whole room was spinning. "Shikamaru's just a lazy bum. You know? He's so boring and never says anything interesting and I can_not_ understand what's so fun about cloud-watching and shouji. God! He annoys me so much. Lucky Temari wants him."

She got up and stumbled. "Be careful!" yelped Sakura as Ino crashed into the wall.

"I'm - _hic _- his friend. I'm happy for him. Yeah. He better name one of his kids after me."

She made it to the door, and then it opened before she could touch it.

"Ino...?"

Shikamaru stood there, eyeing her skeptically. "Oh geez, you've been drinking again? Your breath really stinks."

Ino grabbed his shoulders. "I... I just want to say... congrats."

Then she threw up all over his clothes.

:::

Two weeks ago, Ino was in her flower shop, wiping the counters and humming a tune to herself. Business was slow.

The door opened and Sai entered. "Hey, let's go eat. I'm starving."

"Hell yeah, me too. Hold on, let me take my apron off." Ino turned around and went into the back room. She passed the window that looked out over the street, thinking about sushi.

She caught a glimpse of something, then automatically stopped and looked again.

It was Shikamaru and Temari. They were walking to somewhere, probaby just came from lunch since Temari was still carrying a drink in her hand. She was laughing about something and gestured with her hands as she spoke.

Shikamaru was smiling.

_Smiling_.

Ino was so not used to seeing that expression on his face that she stared extra hard to make sure it _was_ the same guy she knew for the last eighteen years.

"Ino? C'mon, what's taking so long?"

Sai came to see what she was looking at. He looked at Shikamaru, then at Ino. "What...?"

"Sorry, Sai." Ino took a deep breath. "I - I don't feel good. I have to go home."

They broke up three days later.

:::

Ino still doesn't know when exactly Shikamaru began to date Temari. She didn't get the details from the source. She found out from Sakura who heard from Tenten who said Lee saw those two holding hands during one of his morning Burning-Flames-of-Youth runs around the village.

Ino went eagerly to confront Shikamaru. "Why didn't you tell me!" she laughed, swatting at his arm as soon as she found him lying, where else, at his favorite cloud-watching spot. "All this time I thought you were either gay or asexual. Seriously. Who knew that ever since you fought Temari at the Chuunin exam you've been deep in looooooove!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You're loud."

Ino flopped down on the grass beside him. "Come on, don't lie to me. You're blushing, aren't you? Aren't you?"

He ignored her, which Ino knew was typical-Shikamaru response. Staring up at the clouds, she couldn't help but continue to giggle. She had expected Chouji to find a girlfriend before Shikamaru did.

How weird did things turn out!

"Shut up already."

Ino blinked up at Shikamaru, who had suddenly sat up. The meaning of his words wasn't at all anything new, it was the way he said it. Fast and abrupt, and - was it her imagination? A little angry?

He was looking at her, but because the sun was behind him she just saw a black silhouette. "What!" said Ino, taken aback and very offended at his tone.

She shielded her eyes but Shikamaru had already turned away. "Nothing," he said quietly. "I should go. See you."

He left her staring, bewildered, at his retreating back.

:::

Wedding day.

"I'm not going," Ino told Sakura the day before. "Tell them I have the flu." Sakura had nodded, and Ino had a feeling she wasn't fooled by the lie or the tissues and blankets one bit. Thankfully, Sakura didn't say anything and left her with a simple, "Feel better."

Now it was the morning. Ino sat on her bed, trying not to think about what day it was.

She didn't move, dazed, wondering if she could just sit like this for the rest of her life. It didn't seem so bad.

A knock came on the door. Actually, more like a pounding. "Go away!" shouted Ino, immediately diving into her pillow. "I'm sick!"

"Ino, stop being so stupid!"

It was Chouji. Ino, startled and slightly touched (she knew Chouji had to care an awful lot in order to march to her apartment up four flights of stairs), said more softly, "Go away, please, Chouji."

"Ino, do you remember the steak?"

She had been determined not to say one more word, but this was so out of the blue she blurted, "What steak?"

"The steak that I ate that time when I wanted to give up my diet?"

"Oh... yeah." A few months ago, Chouji, who had always been comfortable with his size, wanted to ask out a pretty waitress at the BBQ place and got motivated to start losing weight. Ino, very pleased to help, made him go on a strict regimen of dieting and exercise. She watched him like a hawk and barked instructions in his ear. A good coach, she was. But came one night when she spotted Chouji eating a steak behind her back. She yelled about self-control for a few minutes, then noticed that instead of looking scared as usual, Chouji just silently sat slumped in his seat. When Ino quieted down and asked him what's wrong, he mumbled, "Forget about this. I can't do it. Being thin doesn't suit me anyway."

Chouji's voice outside the door brought Ino out of her mental flashback. "Do you remember what you said to me?"

"You stupid idiot?" Ino smiled a little.

"No, after that."

She leaned against her pillow, remembering. "If you give up now, nothing's going to change..."

"'You can't get what you want unless you put up a fight,'" continued Chouji. "'So suck it up and think about what's important to you. And go after it. Because it's never too late.'"

"I didn't say that last part," said Ino.

"That's what I'm saying to _you_! Ino, don't deny it, ok, I know you like Shikamaru. As in more than a friend. So why are you just sitting around and pitying yourself on his wedding day? That's not like the Ino I know."

"But - it _is_ too late, Chouji! He loves her. I saw it, I know. I - I want him to be happy."

"Do you think you're ever going to be happy with this regret hanging over you? Look, if he really loves her, he's not going to be hurt or affected by what you say."

"But things will be awkward between us. And he may not be hurt but I - "

"Are you afraid of a little pain, is that it? Ino, if you're just letting everything go without even trying _anything_ you're going to hurt like you are now, for years and years. That's the worst kind of pain."

Ino was quiet.

"Come on," said Chouji slowly. "Ino, you know you don't want to think 'What if' for the rest of your life. It's your choice, but - if you stay in that room like a coward, you're disappointing me and the Ino you used to be."

No answer.

Chouji sighed and turned to go -

The door banged open, nearly knocking him over, and Ino stood there, breathless.

"Where's the wedding?"


	2. Part 2

"Shikamaru, listen, I - I have something to tell you."

He had never seen Ino like this. Her hair was a huge mess, she wasn't wearing any makeup, and sweat covered her face. She was even wearing her pajamas with the teddy bears on it - and she swore she would rather die than be seen in them outside.

But that look in her eyes was all too familiar. He could feel her gaze burn all the way through his skin.

"You see, I..."

Shikamaru waited for what he knew she was going to say. The words that he'd once wanted to hear more than anything.

:::

Even at five years old, Shikamaru knew trouble when he saw it.

It came in the form of Yamanaka Ino, a blond girl with ribbons in her hair and a deceptively cute smile on her face.

At first, Shikamaru was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. He figured that if he left her alone, she will reciprocate with the same favor. But it quickly became clear that his initial suspicion was right: Ino, like his mother and all the other women and girls out there, is bossy and annoying and very, very loud.

No, sir, childhood with Ino was no piece of cake.

Before good ol' Chouji came along, Shikamaru had to suffer months and _months_ of Ino dragging him to play dolls or play tag or anything that required ethusiasm and energy, which he didn't have. Yes, Chouji saved his life. Ino couldn't stand Chouji's chip-chewing noises and since Shikamaru was smart enough to stick to Chouji's side, Ino had no choice but to go away.

Little Shikamaru planned to buy Chouji a lifetime supply of BBQ potato chips when he grows up and has the money.

:::

The year he was thirteen - Ino went missing. Team 10 had been on one of its seemingly simple missions, accompanying an ambassador back to his village. During the trip back they had been attacked by some rogue ninjas. It didn't seem like a threatening situation, though; they drove the enemy away rather quickly.

But then they noticed that Ino was gone.

With the chaos of the battle going on, no one saw how or when she had disappeared. They weren't very worried - they knew Ino was strong - but then they searched the woods for about an hour and couldn't find her.

God knows how many times Shikamaru had imagined how much his life would improve if Ino disappeared from it. Well, can you blame him? He'd finally be able to get a moment of quiet to himself.

Yet for some reason, now that his wish got granted, that feeling of joy didn't come.

As it turned out, all the fuss was for nothing. They found Ino with the help of Inuzuka's dogs in minutes. She had fallen asleep under one of the trees, after pursuing one of the rogue ninjas deep into the woods in the heat of the moment, beating him to a pulp, and then getting lost on her way back to the team.

Whatever Asuma said to Ino, it had to be serious because Ino hung back from the group on the return trip to Konoha - very abnormal behavior on her part (she always wanted to race everyone home first).

Shikamaru (who never saw the point in traveling fast when it wasn't necessary) wasn't traveling too far from her. "That was troublesome," he muttered with a shake of his head.

"Hey - " Ino looked ready to argue, but all the air suddenly deflated out of her. "No, you're right. Sorry I caused so much trouble," she said in a small voice. "I must be a pain to be around."

The very ironic thing was that two hours ago, Shikamaru would have heartily agreed it was true... but after seeing Ino's face like that for the first time, he didn't know what to say.

"I'm used to it." Shikamaru cleared his throat. "You're not that bad."

He heard her snort softly in laughter. "Even though that's a lie, thanks."

Weird. He actually did mean what he said.

:::

"Shikamaru, gimme a hand."

He eyed the bushels of flowers warily. "Do I have to?"

"Will you quit being so goddamn lazy all the time?" Ino peeked around the flowers to give him a glare. "Quick, they're going to fall."

Reluctantly, Shikamaru reached over and took some of the flowers.

"I don't know what Mom is thinking, moving the shop practically across town. Does she really think more customers will come if we sell flowers somewhere 'busier'? Like people are going to be thinking about roses with a BBQ restaurant next door. Take for example, Chouji, he's obviously not the kind to buy carnations or whatever - "

Ino stopped walking, causing Shikamaru to bump straight into her. "What the hell, Ino?" he spoke through a mouthful of leaves.

When he got silence instead, Shikamaru craned his neck around the flowers (did she walk into a pole? 'Cause that'd be really funny). He saw Ino standing motionless, a misty look passing over her eyes. Shikamaru followed her gaze and immediately understood the reason.

"Oh, Sai is just _so_ gorgeous. Isn't he?" she breathed. She was clearly in dreamland and under the illusion that Shikamaru was Sakura, who'd actually care give a damn.

"Yeah, he's a hearthrob," said Shikamaru.

Ino even missed the sarcasm. "I know! Doesn't his hair look so cute today?"

"Even cuter than Sasuke's," agreed Shikamaru.

The mention of the S-word pulled Ino out of her reverie. She narrowed her eyes. "I know he's not Sasuke, Shikamaru. Besides, I don't even like Sasuke anymore. I don't like traitors, I've moved on."

"By setting your sight on a Sasuke look-alike?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrows.

Ino closed her mouth angrily. "Think what you want, Shikamaru! I don't care. So what if I like Sai? It's none of your business, anyway."

She stomped off, forgetting that Shikamaru was still holding her flowers. Rose thorns were cuttiing into his arm but he didn't loosen his grip. There were few things left that he could still hold on to.

:::

135 minutes before the wedding.

"You see, I..."

Shikamaru waited, but Ino didn't go on. She just looked at him wordlessly, and then - did he imagine it? - searchingly, as if his expression was betraying his thoughts.

_Don't say it._

Slowly, the fire in Ino's eyes dimmed. When she spoke again, her voice broke.

"I love you. So please..."

She swallowed, hard. "Be happy with Temari."

Then she turned and ran.

:::

The truth was, even Shikamaru had no idea when exactly he started dating Temari. There was no official transition from acquintances to boyfriend and girlfriend. All he knew was that one day, Temari walked closer to him than she had done before. Her hand brushed his hesitantly.

She looked at him, cheeks coloring. "Is this... ok?"

Shikamaru looked back. And because when she looked at him, she saw him and nothing else, he didn't pull away when her fingers closed around his.

:::

"Wait. You're leaving?"

Sakura glanced at him. "You think I don't know why you're here?" Without another word, she closed the door behind her.

Beside him, Ino let out a groan and some kind of mumble as she rolled over, arm hitting him on the back, not that she had a clue. Typical that she could sleep so deeply after drenching him in all her puke.

Shikamaru mopped his hair, still damp from the shower, wondering why he _was_ here. Why did he have to listen to Chouji?

_"Go see Ino," Chouji said, and when Shikamaru asked why, he stared at Shikamaru so intensely he had to look away. _

_"Did you know she broke up with Sai?" Chouji said after a moment._

_"Oh... did she?"_

_Chouji ignored this. "I told her today. About your wedding."_

_Shikamaru silently nodded._

_"Go see her," repeated Chouji._

So he did. And the person he was supposed to see was now out cold.

What was he supposed to do? Talk to thin air?

"You're so..."

The voice almost made Shikamaru jump a mile, but then he realized it was just Ino. She was still fast asleep, a thin line of drool coming from the corner of her mouth. Shikamaru considered taking a picture as revenge for that time she put lipstick on him while he was asleep.

"So... lazy." Ino's eyelids squeezed tightly. "I hate you."

Shikamaru turned away so he didn't have to see the teardrop that dripped down her cheek.

:::

Two weeks ago before that incident, Shikamaru took a walk at four in the morning. The streets have long been empty. Shikamaru was starting to understand why Asuma had been so obsessed with smoking.

It takes your mind off of things.

_Will you think about it?_

Temari's question echoed over and over in his head.

But no matter how lazy Shikamaru was, he knew he couldn't ignore her question. He wasn't THAT big of an asshole. At least, he didn't want to be one.

It shouldn't be hard to answer. Really. Temari was great. Yeah, she was kind of bossy, but what woman isn't? During the last two years things have actually been... _peaceful _between them. Shikamaru did enjoy her company. He did.

So it wouldn't be too bad to spend the rest of his life with her like this.

It wouldn't.

He tipped his head back to look at the stars, and instead he saw two people sitting on the roof of an apartment building.

One of them had blond hair that looked white under the moon, and she was talking, every so often brushing her bangs aside. The other had inky, smooth black hair, his head cocked to the side as he listened. They didn't see Shikamaru. They didn't see anyone except each other.

The next day, he gave Temari his answer. "Oh my God! You're serious?" she cried, throwing her arms around him.

"I'm serious," said Shikamaru, and he didn't know if it was just Temari he was convincing.

:::

128 minutes before the wedding.

He sank down onto the chapel's wooden floor, and rested his forehead against his knees. It had boiled down to this one question:

Hurt Ino or Temari.

Ino... who was _Ino_. And Temari... who was his fiancée. Who had believed him when he said he would take care of her. Who, he promised to himself, he would never hurt.

And it was too late to change that.

"Why are you doing this?" a gentle voice spoke at his ear.

Raising his head, he saw Temari. She wasn't dressed in her bridal clothes yet, but her hair was neatly brushed into a bun. He glanced behind her.

"I told them I needed to use the bathroom," said Temari, as if reading his mind. She sat down next to him.

"You know, when you told me 'yes, let's get married,' I thought I was the happiest girl in the world. No - let me talk," she said, seeing him open his mouth. She looked down at her hands, at the painted nails. "I still am, Shikamaru. Because you'd rather be in pain yourself than hurt me."

"I'm not - "

"Just listen to me talk, please." She took a deep breath. "I used to think that getting married would mean that you were finally mine. But that's not true. I'd still not be getting all of you."

"Temari," said Shikamaru.

"Even with your IQ, you can't understand? That you'd be hurting me even more by doing this? I don't want a guy who marries me out of duty, or sympathy or - guilt. I want to marry a guy who _wants_ to be with me. A guy who loves me."

"I do love you."

"And I want someone who wouldn't be lying to himself everytime he said that."

Temari stood up. "Sometimes," she said, pausing for just a moment, "people's minds change, Shikamaru."

Her eyes were shining, but her voice was steady. "Sometimes it's not too late."

:::

On one of the Academy days, because he was absent from school, Ino came to his house to give him homework Iruka-sensei had assigned. She criticized his room's appearance and accused him of being a lazy fraud (he wasn't actually sick, just overslept and didn't feel like going to school) before finally leaving, banging the door shut noisily as she did so.

His father, watching from his comfy chair, told him, "Be careful of that Yamanaka girl."

"Duh," said Shikamaru.

His father went back to his newspaper. "She might take your heart someday."

:::

3.8 minutes before the wedding.

He pushed past Chouji and Sakura, ignoring their shocked faces. "Do you know where she is?" Sakura shouted after him.

"She's not at her apartment, we checked," said Chouji.

Shikamaru stopped to look back at them. "I know where she is."

And he did a very rare thing for Nara Shikamaru:

He sprinted forward with all his might.


	3. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

0 seconds before the wedding.

Ino was lying on the grass, greeted by a cloudless blue sky. No noise bothered her except for rustling of some leaves and birds chirping. She could see what Shikamaru saw in this place: like you were in your own private world. You felt safe.

Thinking about Shikamaru made her feel a dull ache, but no more. Maybe she was already healing.

_I mean, I realized I'm in love with a guy I've known my whole life 3 weeks before his wedding. No wonder this is what I get._

She thought this was funny and began to laugh so hard she started to cry.

All of a sudden, she heard a distant voice yelling her name. Panic seized her. She didn't want Sakura or Chouji or her mom or _anyone_ to see her right now. She scrambled to her feet and half-slipped, half-sprinted down the grassy slope. But the other person's footsteps still followed behind her.

Shit, couldn't they get the hint?

"INO! IT'S ME!"

She froze. No, it wasn't him. Definitely not.

For one, there was no possible _way_ Shikamaru could ever - or would ever - run that fast.

And second, he would never _ever_ strain his diaphragm to yell that loud.

And third: he's standing at the altar, not here.

"I'm not marrying Temari."

She covered her ears, not wanting to believe it. "Stop it."

"She was right. I have to stop lying to myself. Lying to you."

"What are you talking about!" she screamed.

"There's only been you, Ino."

He said it quietly; she almost didn't hear him, since he had respected her wishes and kept a distance between them. Ino wrapped her arms around herself shakily. He was probably a mirage or a hallucination that would melt into nothing as soon as she turned around.

"I'll go," he said hoarsely, taking her silence as a leave-me-alone. Grass rustled as he began to walk away.

Ino pressed her hands to her eyes. _I'm scared_.

_All the more reason to run._

So she did - she ran and ran, legs flying from underneath her.

He turned just as she caught up, his eyes widening in surprise as her fingertips grazed his shoulder, then his cheek, and -

_Oomph_.

Home.

:::


End file.
